The Pendragon Estate
by hurleycat
Summary: With a sick mother and greedy stepfather at home, Merlin really has no choice but to take a job working in the Pendragon Estate. He has no choice but to take the position serving the heir, Arthur. He has no choice but to make and take as much money as he can for his family. But he does have a choice in falling for Arthur, and that's an easy choice to make


Gaius greeted Merlin on the front porch. Merlin had been expecting him to be there, but he still found himself taken off guard by the physician wrapping him in a warm embrace.  
>Merlin grinned. "Hi, Uncle Gaius."<br>Gaius took a step back, keeping his hands on Merlin's shoulders, and looked the boy up and down. "You're too thin," he grumbled. "Come on, inside, before you freeze to death." He shooed Merlin through the door with thinly veiled concern on his face.  
>As soon as Merlin stepped inside, he was taken aback by the grandeur of the Pendragon mansion. The front door opened to a large room with a high, domed ceiling. The room had little in it, but there was a huge, spiraling staircase about twenty feet ahead, and there were various doorways on the left and right leading to unknown rooms. The entire place was grey.<br>"It looks even bigger on the inside," Merlin said, gaping.  
>Gaius rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, it's all very impressive."<br>Merlin turned his head to smile at him. "Do we actually stay in the house?" He asked.  
>Gaius nodded and started to lead him toward the staircase. Merlin shifted his backpack on his shoulder then followed his uncle, who led him to the second story then took a sharp turn down a long hallway. He pointed to the first door on the right. "That is Morgana's room. Uther is her guardian." Then he motioned to the next door on the left. "This is Arthur's room."<br>Merlin nodded, mouth agape as he looked at the art lining the walls of the hallway and expensive-looking rugs beneath his feet. At the last moment, he had the good thought to make note of which door Gaius had pointed out.  
>They reached the end of the doorway, and Gaius opened the door on the right. "Home, sweet home," he said. The room was exactly what Merlin had expected of his uncle. There was a large table in the center, covered completely in medical equipment, as well as a microscope and some test tubes neatly lined up. There was a bookshelf, but it was overflowing, and stacks of books consumed the rest of the room.<br>Gaius seemed to take no note of the mess and swept through the room, but Merlin had to be careful not to trip on anything as he followed. There were three doors at the back. "Left is the bathroom," Gaius said. "Middle is mine, right is yours."  
>"Thanks," Merlin replied, grinning. He tugged at the scarf around his neck before realizing he should put his stuff in his new room. He opened the door slowly before walking inside. It was a basic room: bed, wardrobe, and desk. But to Merlin it already felt like home, especially with Gaius just on the other side of the wall.<br>Gaius—who was actually his great-uncle—had been around for most of Merlin's early life. His dad had died before he was born; his mother had needed some help. She had to get a job and couldn't afford child care, so Gaius took care of Merlin when he could. When Merlin was about seven, things had been more stable, and Gaius had been able to move out and get this job working for the Pendragons.  
>Merlin set this duffel bag on the ground. He couldn't decide if he should utilize the wardrobe. He was going to be working only during the week, and then he could go home during the weekends to check on his mother, who was sick more often than not. He took a few things from his bag and put them in the drawers, but left most of it alone.<br>He shuffled back out to the main room. Gaius, who had settled at the table and was leaning over a book, looked up. "Your jeans have holes in them," he said with obvious disdain. He look Merlin up and down over the rims of his glasses.  
>Merlin looked down at his clothes. He hadn't been able to afford new clothes for a while, but he never really thought about it that much. It wasn't like he was the only kid with rips in his jeans. "Well... Yeah? Is that bad?"<br>Gaius sighed. "I suppose not." He went back to poring over his books.  
>Merlin looked around the room and stuck his hands in his pockets. "So-uh-what do I do now?"<br>"For today, nothing. You're here to help when needed, but no one needs you today." Gaius shoved his book away. "Just get comfortable. I'll take you down to the kitchen for lunch and you can get to know the other help."  
>Merlin nodded to himself as he walked back to his room and sat down carefully on the bed. He wasn't used to being idle. He'd dropped out of high school two years ago at 16, and since then he'd been constantly working as a waiter at two different restaurants. He had very little time to himself and never knew what to do with free time.<br>He decided to unpack for the week and spend too much time on organizing his things.

Gaius had taken Merlin down to the kitchens as promised. Everyone there was nice, especially a girl named Gwen, who had popped in only long enough to introduce herself, make a few jokes, and grab Morgana's lunch.  
>There was a man named George, who was the personal help for Arthur Pendragon, Uther's heir. He seemed very positive about it, but he also seemed very overworked. "Do you think you could run this up to Arthur's room for me?" He asked Merlin. "I need to go on a hunt for his cleats."<br>"Uh... Sure?"  
>Merlin took a tray piled with food from George's hands and walked slowly up the staircase. It took him a while to get to the top, and he was so focused on not letting the food fall that he didn't realize there was someone turning the corner to walk down the stairs. He walked right into that someone's chest, and the platter of food clattered to the floor.<br>"Damn it," Merlin muttered and crouched down to gather up the ruined food. "Watch where you're going!"  
>"Excuse me?" a voice said over him. "Watch where I'm going?" Merlin could see clean Vans shoes moving closer to him but didn't bother to look up as he attempted to clean up the mess.<br>"Yeah! Are you trying to get me fired on my first day?" Merlin grumbled.  
>"I dunno. I suppose I would have to talk to my father about that."<br>Merlin froze. He slowly looked up. The person standing over him was about his age, but he was more... manly. His shoulders were broader, his jaw more defined. He had shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a crooked, mischievous grin.  
>"That would make you Arthur then?" Merlin guessed, hating how high his voice got. If he lost this job, he had no idea what he would do.<br>Arthur nodded. "And that would be my lunch then?"  
>Merlin's tried to nod, but he found himself frozen.<br>"Where's George?" Arthur asked.  
>"Looking for your cleats."<br>"Hm. Well you'd best get that cleaned up." Arthur strode away.

The week passed slowly. Merlin was surprised by how little work he did. He mostly just followed Gaius around to help him or helped the cooks grab ingredients. When it came time for him to leave Friday evening, he packed up everything from his wardrobe and gave Gaius a goodbye hug.  
>"I'll see you on Monday," they said at the same time. Merlin waved one last time before walking to the bus stop.<br>When he got home, everything was quiet. The lock on the front door had stuck, and it had taken him some fighting to get in, so he'd thought somebody would notice he was home. But the front room was dark, and the hallway was unlit.  
>Merlin sighed and walked into the kitchen. Pulling open the fridge, he realized he shouldn't have trusted his stepdad to do the grocery shopping while he was gone. There was mostly beer and old steak.<br>"Welcome home."  
>Merlin was ashamed of how his breath caught in his throat and his shoulders tensed as he heard Agravaine speak behind him. He slowly shut the fridge and turned around. "How did my mom do while I was gone?" he asked.<br>Agravaine shrugged. "She still has that nasty cough. She's still in bed. Nothing new."  
>Merlin pursed his lips. He started to walk away to go check on her.<br>"She's sleeping," Agravaine said. He blocked the kitchen doorway with his body and looked down at Merlin. "You get paid?"  
>Merlin rolled his eyes. "I get paid every two weeks now. I don't get nightly tips like before." He gave up on trying to leave the kitchen and went to pawing through the cupboards for something to eat. "You're gonna have to wait a little while to steal my money now. Sorry about that."<br>The situation with Agravaine had been tense from the beginning. He'd been the one to encourage Merlin to leave school and get a job. He believed that Merlin needed to "earn his keep" and had been taking most of Merlin's income. Merlin hated himself for it, but he was too much of a wimp to do anything about it.  
>Agravaine leaned against the doorknob. "We can't wait two weeks for money around here. I haven't even been able to go grocery shopping."<br>Merlin slammed shut an empty cupboard. "I see you were able to buy beer though."  
>Agravaine didn't say anything for a moment, but the warning in his eyes was clear. He sighed. "Aren't these people filthy rich? I'm sure if you pick up a few dollars here and there, they won't even notice."<br>Merlin grabbed a glass and walked over to the sink to fill it up. "I'm not stealing for you."  
>"We don't have enough money to take care of your mother."<br>"We would if you didn't go out and waste it on girls and boo-"  
>Merlin was cut off when Agravaine stormed over and slammed him against the wall. The glass Merlin had been holding shattered on the floor. Agravaine stood unbearable close, one hand against Merlin's chest to hold him in place, as he said, "What I do is none of your goddamn business, you piece of shit. I'm sick of your fucking bullshit and you've only been home for five minutes. So next week, bring home some fucking money or I will knock your lights out, got it?"<br>Merlin nodded.

"Why does God hate me?" Merlin asked, sinking into a chair across from Gaius.  
>"Don't be melodramatic," the physician grumbled. "It's not that bad. George was Arthur's servant for years and he had no complaints."<br>"So why am I doing it?" Merlin demanded. "What happened to George?"  
>"Arthur fired him."<br>"Wonderful." Merlin hauled himself from the chair. "I'd best be getting breakfast for the heir then," he drawled. "Maybe this time I won't fall on my face before his food gets to him."  
>"Gwen volunteered to show you the ropes," Gaius shouted as Merlin stormed out of the room. "Meet her in the kitchen!"<br>Sure enough, Gwen was waiting in the kitchen for him. She told him that Arthur's breakfast would be ready every morning at seven and would be waiting for him to get it in the kitchen. Arthur ate in bed before getting up to start his day. "And it's easier to carry trays up the stairs if you don't look at them; just feel for the balance."  
>Merlin blushed, because she must have heard about last week's fiasco.<br>She helped him take the food upstairs and knocked on Arthur's door. she waited a few moments before opening it. "Good morning, sir. Your new servant is following me around today. Merlin, Arthur. Arthur, Merlin."  
>Arthur had obviously just woken up. He had bed head, and his eyes were barely open. "We've met," he grumbled.<br>Gwen ripped his sheets away from him and flicked on the light. "Good. Now eat your breakfast. Your tutor will be here in half an hour and you have soccer after that."  
>Arthur gave her a deadly look but took the tray from her and started to eat. "I don't want him to be my servant. He spilled my food last week."<br>Gwen rolled her eyes. "And you spilled water trying to drink from a glass yesterday. It is what it is, Arthur."  
>"I could have you fired."<br>"I dare you."  
>Merlin watched in awe as Gwen took Arthur straight to stalemate. After a short stare down, Gwen smiled and went to Arthur's closet. "What do you want to wear today?"<br>"I can pick out my own clothes," Arthur whined.  
>"Alright, alright." Gwen threw up her hands. "I'll just leave you be then." She led Merlin out of the room.<br>The rest of the day was spent trailing behind Arthur as he went through his daily life. Home school, soccer practice, dinner party with family friends, practicing soccer alone in the backyard, and then bed.  
>The next day, Gwen told Merlin that he would have to handle Arthur on his own from now on. Merlin grabbed breakfast from the kitchen and prayed to every deity he could think of that today would go smoothly.<br>Arthur was still asleep when Merlin got to his room. Merlin switched on the light. "Good morning, sunshine," he said as cheerfully as he could.  
>Arthur opened his eyes and groaned. "You again," he muttered.<br>"Me again," Merlin confirmed sarcastically. "Get up. Your tutor is supposed to be here in half an hour."  
>Merlin went into the en suite bathroom to start warming up the shower for Arthur. He was about to shout that it was ready when he heard Arthur shout, "This breakfast is awful!"<br>Merlin rolled his eyes. "It's the same thing as yesterday."  
>"Well I hate it."<br>Arthur finally got out of bed and started stumbling toward the shower. He stuck his hand under the water. He yelped and pulled it back. "Are you trying to burn me to death?"  
>Merlin walked out so Arthur could get undressed. "Slowly and painfully," he quipped then slammed the bathroom door shut.<p>

Soccer practice was hell. Merlin had spent yesterday just watching from the sidelines and handing Arthur his water bottle when needed, but today Arthur decided he needed to be of more use.  
>"I'm going to kick the ball toward you. Just catch it and toss it back," Arthur instructed him.<br>It turned out that was more difficult than it sounded. Arthur was most definitely aiming for his stomach and kicking too hard for anyone to be able to catch it, especially Merlin.  
>"We're going to have to work on those reflexes of yours!" Arthur told him as the left practice.<br>Merlin scowled and rubbed his bruised stomach.

The next day, Merlin had no patience to be kind to Arthur. He brought a different breakfast, but Arthur still complained. He made the shower slightly cooler, but Arthur said it was too cold now.  
>He was packing Arthur's bag for practice when he finally lost it. "Where are your cleats?" he asked.<br>Arthur shrugged as he pulled on a t-shirt.  
>"Why don't you just put them back in the bag after practice?" Merlin asked exasperatedly. He started to look around the room for those damn shoes.<br>"They have to air out. Besides, it's your job to keep track of that stuff."  
>Merlin supposed that was a good point, but he was still annoyed. He stormed out of the room to search the mansion for Arthur's shoes. He finally found them on the front porch.<br>"Let's just agree that they'll always be on the front porch from now on then?" He asked when he returned to Arthur's room.  
>Arthur took the shoes from him and stuffed them in his bag before shoving it into Merlin's hands. "I can't promise anything."<br>Merlin sighed. "You're ridiculous, you know that? Absolutely ridiculous."  
>Arthur walked out of the room. "I could have you fired for saying that," he threatened to Merlin, who was trailing behind him as usual with the oversized soccer bag slung over his shoulder.<br>Merlin responded, "Do it. I hate working for you."  
>Arthur spun around. He stood unbearably close to Merlin and spoke in a low voice. "I don't know. Seems to me like you need this job." He motioned to Merlin's clothes. "I don't think you understand that I could ruin you. Watch yourself."<br>They didn't speak any more than necessary for the rest of the day.

The next day, Merlin was late bringing Arthur's breakfast. When Arthur pointed this out, he explained, "George was hovering in the kitchen-he works in there now I guess-and he was interrogating me about how well I've been serving you."  
>Arthur rolled his eyes, taking the breakfast tray from Merlin.<br>"I don't know why you fired him," Merlin continued as he walked into the bathroom. "He seems like he was better than me."  
>"But he was so boring," Arthur responded.<br>Merlin chuckled. "You've got that right." He turned the shower on and adjusted the heat. "Every time I run into him, he actually asks me about the weather."  
>Arthur snorted. "If I had him following me around all day for much longer, I would've lost it."<br>"Are you sure you haven't already?" Merlin said, then he realized he should probably be avoiding pissing Arthur off.  
>To his surprise, Arthur laughed and shrugged. "Well I haven't fired you yet, so maybe."<br>He set aside his empty breakfast tray and got out of bed to go shower.  
>When the bathroom door closed behind him, Merlin started to clean up from breakfast. He picked up an empty glass from the nightstand. He noticed that Arthur had left his wallet right next to the alarm clock.<br>Merlin glanced over his shoulder to see if the bathroom door was still closed. It was.  
>He slowly picked up the wallet and opened it. Merlin didn't think he had ever seen that much money in one place before. The wallet was so full that it didn't close all the way.<br>If he took a few twenties, Arthur probably wouldn't notice, and Agravaine wouldn't flip out on him over the weekend. Merlin was about to pull a few bills out before he realized how ridiculous this was. He want going to steal from his employer; that was wrong and a sure way to get fired fast.  
>Then again, Agravaine's threat had been very real, and the thought of going home empty-handed made Merlin feel sick.<br>He took a deep breath and closed the wallet without taking anything. He set it back down where he'd found it, hopefully the paycheck at the end of this week would be enough to appease his stepdad.

Merlin cashed his paycheck on the way home Friday night. He threw the cash down on the kitchen table when he got home and went to rummage through the cupboards again, though he didn't really expect to find anything.  
>He heard Agravaine walk into the room but didn't care enough to acknowledge him. He found a package of crackers and ripped it open.<br>"Is this it?" Agravaine asked.  
>Merlin turned around to face him. He watched as his stepdad counted out the money. "What do you mean, 'is this it'? That's my entire paycheck, asshole."<br>"Just a paycheck?" Agravaine raised one eyebrow.  
>Merlin stuffed a cracker in his mouth and chewed it before responding. "I told you I wasn't stealing for you." He put genuine effort into keeping his voice from shaking.<br>Agravaine pursed his lips. He set the money down on the table. "Come here," he commanded.  
>Merlin knew better than to disobey, so he walked over to stand in front of Agravaine. He was so focused on steadying his breathing that he didn't realize what was happening until he was shoved against the wall with Agravaine's hands around his throat.<br>Merlin tried to pry his stepdad's fingers off, but he could barely focus enough to get his hands up to his throat. His mind started to go fuzzy, and spots of black clouded his vision, as it became more and more difficult to get oxygen into his lungs.  
>Eventually, Merlin let his hands fall away and his entire body go slack. He felt Agravaine's grip loosen just before he thought he couldn't hold onto consciousness any longer. Merlin started to slide down the wall so he could just give up and lay on the floor.<br>Agravaine caught his shoulder with one hand and held him in place.  
>Merlin wanted to apologize or beg, but his throat was so sore he didn't think he could speak at all.<br>"Listen to me, asshole," Agravaine growled. "I expect more cash on my table next week when you get home, alright?" Merlin forced himself to nod.  
>Agravaine let go, pulled his arm back and punched Merlin's eye swiftly before storming out of the room.<br>Merlin lost his balance and fell to the floor. He felt the cold tile beneath his hands and knees, and focusing on the coolness helped him focus again as he drew oxygen into his lungs.  
>He listened carefully for the sound of Agravaine's bedroom door slamming shut before he forced himself to stand. Using the wall to keep his balance, he gathered his breath and began to walk toward the hallway.<br>Their house was small, but there was enough room for three cramped bedrooms. One had been empty for most of Merlin's life, but when Mom got sick, she had wanted her own room to have privacy, so she'd taken the bedroom next to Merlin's.  
>Merlin knocked on his mother's door before opening it slowly. "Mom?" he whispered.<br>"Yes, honey?" Her bedside light flicked on, and Merlin was relieved to see that she was looking more healthy than usual.  
>He walked over to sit on the side of her bed. He opened his mouth to ask how her week had been, but he was cut off when she set her hand on his neck, where it must have been reddening from Agravaine's hands. "Oh, honey…" she whispered.<br>"Don't worry about it, Mom," Merlin said, trying to sound cheerful. He kissed her forehead and stood. He needed to get out of here before she started crying. "I love you. I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning."  
>"I love you too," Mom replied, and it was obvious she was getting choked up.<p>

Merlin walked into Gaius' main room slowly. He was hoping his uncle wasn't there yet, so he wouldn't have to explain the black eye, but Gaius was, as usual, sitting at his table with a book. He glanced up when Merlin walked in. He looked like he was going to go back to reading but did a second glance and noticed the purple around Merlin's eye.  
>"What the hell happened to you?"<br>Merlin was glad he'd worn his trusty red scarf to cover the finger-shaped bruises around his neck, because those would have been a lot harder to explain away. "I got in a fight on the way home. Some guy tried to mug me and I put up a fight." He tried to keep his voice level.  
>Gaius clucked his tongue and stood up to walk over to his nephew. "Did you put ice on it? It doesn't look too swollen."<br>"Yeah, of course I did." He hadn't. The freezer had stopped working.  
>Gaius prodded the sensitive bruised skin with one finger, and Merlin jerked away, hissing in pain. "Sorry, sorry. It just looks pretty bad. Maybe you shouldn't take the bus home anymore." Gaius actually sounded really concerned.<br>Merlin shrugged. "I can't afford to take a taxi or anything."  
>He shuffled away to put his bags away and get to the kitchen to pick up Arthur's breakfast. The cooks in the kitchen gave him a few weird looks, but none of them pried. He passed Gwen on the staircase, and she looked concerned but too rushed to stop and ask questions.<br>Merlin knocked on the door and walked into Arthur's room without waiting. He flicked on the light. "Wake up," he grumbled. He didn't have the patience for Arthur's shit today.  
>Arthur rolled over and threw his sheets off. "Somebody's grumpy tod—What the hell happened to your face?"<br>Merlin set the tray on Arthur's lap. "I live in a bad neighborhood. Got mugged," he said flatly.  
>Arthur wrinkled his eyebrows. "Did you call the police?" he asked.<br>Merlin chuckled and said, "No, but I don't think you have to worry about getting mugged around here."  
>"Well what if you get mugged again? You have the same schedule every week!"<br>Why was everyone so concerned about him suddenly? Arthur barely even liked him; why should he care?  
>Arthur continued. "Do you know who it was? I could have them arrested."<br>"Calm down," Merlin replied, still laughing. "I didn't know you cared so much."  
>Arthur stared for a long moment. Eventually, he shrugged and began eating his breakfast.<br>His weird behavior continued for the rest of the day. He didn't make Merlin carry his soccer bag, and he seemed preoccupied during soccer. He even missed some passes, which usually only happened when they were bad passes—because, as much as Merlin loathed to admit it, Arthur was actually a really good soccer player. But he seemed to be awful today.  
>He was even more off-put the next morning when he received a google alert notification. Merlin had just walked in the room when Arthur threw his phone across the room.<br>"Whoa!" Merlin set the tray down on Arthur's desk and ran across the room to pick up the phone. Its screen was shattered. "What's wrong?"  
>Arthur stumbled out of bed and snatched the phone from Merlin. "I'm not even a celebrity!" he shouted.<br>Merlin blinked, confused. "Okay?"  
>Arthur sighed. Running his hands through his hair, he said, "My dad's just rich. I don't understand why stupid gossip websites write articles about me."<br>"That… sucks?" Merlin had never known anyone who faced that situation before, so he wasn't sure what the proper consolation was. He took Arthur's phone from his hand so he could read the article Arthur was so upset about. He only skimmed, but it seemed to be accusing Arthur of mistreating his ex-girlfriend.  
>Arthur kicked the bed. "She's a fucking bitch! She's lying!" he screamed.<br>The bedroom door opened and Morgana poked her head in. "Is everything okay?" She seemed to be trying to take in Arthur's rage and Merlin's black eye at the same time.  
>Merlin answered, "There was an article about him? I dunno. He's upset."<br>Morgana came in, followed by Gwen, and sat down on Arthur's bed. "You know you shouldn't take these things to heart. Let me guess: Sophia's spreading lies about you?"  
>Arthur sat down next to her and put his face in his hands. He nodded.<br>Morgana rubbed his back for a few moments then stood and walked over to Merlin. "Let's get him out of the house today, for something other than soccer. He's gonna need a new phone anyway. You okay if we all go to the mall or something?"  
>Merlin didn't really think he had a choice, so he nodded.<br>Morgana smiled. "Have him ready in an hour." She and Gwen left.  
>Merlin helped Arthur stop moping and encouraged him to get ready. Soon Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Gwen had all gathered into a limo and were headed toward the mall. "So we'll stop to get Arthur a new phone first, and then we can go our separate ways to buy clothes!"<br>Arthur didn't seem too excited about this outing, but at least he wasn't raging around his room anymore. He bought a new phone exactly like the old one, and he grudgingly let himself to be shoved into a clothing store.  
>"Do you want anything in particular?" Merlin asked, trying to make Arthur enjoy the afternoon. "Like new shirts or something?"<br>Arthur shrugged.  
>Merlin walked over to a display of shirts and picked one up that seemed nice to him. "What about this one? This one's cool."<br>"Yeah I guess," Arthur said quietly.  
>Merlin waited for him to take the shirt or something, but he just kept staring around sadly. "Go try it on," Merlin commanded as nicely as he could. "Maybe wearing a good shirt will put you in a good mood for once."<br>Arthur sighed. "You try it on if you like it so much."  
>"I'm not here to shop for myself."<br>"Just try it on, okay? I don't want it and you seem to like it."  
>Merlin set the shirt back on the rack. "Well alright. We'll find you something else to try on."<br>Arthur seemed to be getting upset again. He took the shirt off the rack. "What's this? A medium? That will fit you. Come on. Let's go pay for it?" He stormed off toward the cashier and threw money down.  
>Merlin hustled to catch up with him, and the shirt had already been bought by the time he reached the cashier. Arthur shoved the bag into his arms.<br>As they walked out of the store, Merlin tried to figure out what to say. "Er… thanks? You didn't have to do that?"  
>Arthur didn't meet his eyes. "I was getting sick of seeing you wear the same three shirts over and over anyway."<br>"I don't wear the same—" Merlin cut himself off. He figured it was better to just be nice to Arthur for once, especially after Arthur had just shown that he actually did have feelings.

Friday brought panic for Merlin again. He had to bring some money home, or he would get it even worse than last weekend. He could borrow money from Gaius, but that would bring a lot of questions, and he'd never be able to pay his uncle back.  
>He decided that, if Arthur left his wallet lying around, he would take a few bills. But only this once. Just this once.<br>Sure enough, Arthur had his wallet on his nightstand and didn't bother to hide it when he went to shower.  
>Merlin opened it and grabbed a few twenties. He shoved them into his pocket, feeling guilt start to weigh down his stomach immediately. He just had to keep telling himself that he would never do it again. He didn't have a choice right now. After this, he would figure something else out.<br>When Arthur left the shower, he stuck his wallet in his pants pocket, and he didn't suspect anything.

Merlin had to spend some of the money he'd taken on groceries before he went home. When he got home, he put the grocery bags on the table and threw down the remaining forty dollars. He began to put the cold items in the fridge.  
>Agravaine walked into the kitchen. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds, and Merlin just ignored him as he continued putting groceries away.<br>"You bought some food?" Agravaine asked.  
>"Someone had to," Merlin replied. He slammed shut the fridge with more force than necessary. He moved on to putting the cans away.<br>Agravaine walked over to the table and picked up the cash from the table. He counted it slowly then threw it back down. "Is this fucking it?" he asked.  
>Merlin sighed. "I had to spend some of it on food, and I couldn't just grab a thousand dollars and go."<br>"But forty dollars! This isn't even worth the effort of counting it!" He stalked over to Merlin and shoved him. Merlin stumbled, but caught himself on the counter. "I should kick you out on the street if you're not going to provide enough for your keep!"  
>Merlin held the counter behind him so tightly that his fingers turned white. "You wouldn't do that. You might have to actually get a job," he bit out angrily.<br>His remark was met with a powerful backhand that sent him to the ground. He braced himself for another hit, curling in to protect his organs and using his hands to cover his face. Agravaine made a weak, uncommitted kick at his stomach before storming out of the room.  
>Merlin uncurled himself slowly, wincing as his stomach stung.<p>

"Did you get mugged again?" Arthur demanded.  
>Merlin sighed, setting down the breakfast tray in Arthur's lap. "It happens."<br>"Do you just get all of your money stolen? How are you not freaking out about this?" Arthur looked concerned again, which was starting to freak Merlin out. He hadn't thought that Arthur had feelings. "You need to start remembering what these people look like. I can get them arrested if you let me."  
>"Well thanks for the concern," Merlin mumbled. "But it's not that big of a deal."<br>If Merlin was being honest, Arthur was the one getting his money stolen here.  
>Merlin managed to avoid questions about his face until he had to go to soccer practice with Arthur. He settled into his usual spot on the bench and pulled out the book he'd put in Arthur's bag for himself.<br>He couldn't focus on his reading though, because he was too focused on figuring out his money problem. He would be getting his paycheck on Friday, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. He would feel guilty if he had to take more money from Arthur, but he didn't see any other option.  
>He could try just not bringing home any money. But he knew he would catch hell for that, and the idea of that had him shaking from nerves.<br>"Merlin, watch out!"  
>Merlin looked up too late. Something hard and powerful hit the back of his head, and he was pushed off the bench by the impact. He stayed where he was laying on the grass until Arthur ran up.<br>"Are you okay?" Arthur shouted. He turned out. "Mordred! What the hell were you thinking?"  
>Mordred ran over. Merlin had never really talked to him, but he knew that Arthur was friends with him. "It was an accident," he defended. "I lost control of the kick."<br>Merlin was still a little disoriented, and he could barely make out the shape of Arthur over him. "Do you have a concussion?" Arthur asked, leaning closer.  
>"I'll go call an ambulance," Mordred said, running off.<br>Merlin lifted his hand. "No… no ambulance. I'm fine." He blinked a few times, waiting for his vision to clear. "I don't think I have a concussion. I'm fine."  
>Arthur leaned even closer. "Are you sure you're okay? Are you positive?"<br>He was so close that Merlin knew he should have felt awkward, but he couldn't. He could feel the warmth emanating from Arthur's body. He was so close, he could kiss him. But he wasn't going to do that. He wasn't. Really.  
>Arthur froze for a second, meeting Merlin's eyes. Then he pulled away and stood. He stuck out a hand to help Merlin up. "Are you sure you're okay?"<br>"I'm sure." Merlin lugged himself up. He forced himself not to meet Arthur's eyes. He couldn't believe he'd never realized how beautiful they were.  
>"Come on. I'll take you home." Arthur grabbed his bag and led Merlin back to the car. He told the driver what had happened and made sure Merlin was settled.<br>"I'm fine," Merlin insisted. "It only hurt for a moment, but now I'm fine. It's okay."  
>Arthur looked uncertain for a moment. "Well alright. Do you think you're up to going to the dinner party tonight? Because I can bring George with me."<br>"I'm fine."  
>Arthur eventually gave in and stopped worrying. When they got home, he had to get ready quickly for a dinner party with his father's associates. Merlin waited while he showered.<br>"What should I wear?" Arthur asked after he'd finished. "I don't want to look disrespectful, but I also don't want to look like I actually want to be there."  
>Merlin laughed. He went to the closet and pulled out a green button-up shirt. "Here. This one."<br>"Why?" Arthur asked, grabbing it from him. "I haven't worn that shirt since I was like fourteen."  
>"You'd look good in it," Merlin said. "You look good in green."<br>Arthur didn't say anything for a moment. "Well alright. I'll wear it if you wear the shirt I bought you last week."  
>"Deal."<p>

The next day, both Arthur and Merlin were both in a very good mood. Arthur had no schooling to do, and he'd spent most of the morning kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard. Merlin had taken that time to sit on the old, unused swings and enjoy the sunlight. He was hoping that if he tanned, the bruises wouldn't be as obvious.  
>They went inside for lunch and settled in the living room to watch a movie. It was starting to seem like an actually enjoyable day with Arthur (which was rare) and Merlin was feeling pretty good.<br>The doorbell rang when they were halfway through watching Star Trek. Merlin walk to the front door and, only because he was told he was supposed to, looked through the peephole first. He froze when he saw Agravaine waiting on the other side of the door.  
>He stepped away from the door and pressed his back against the wall. His breathing started to speed up as he tried to figure out how Agravaine had known where to find him.<br>Why was he even here? There could be no good or rational explanation for Agravaine putting effort into coming to see him.  
>"Who is it?" Arthur asked as he walked over. "Why aren't you opening the door?"<br>"Arthur—"  
>Arthur opened the door before Merlin could stop him. Luckily, Merlin was standing right beside the door, so Agravaine wouldn't be able to see him. "Can I help you?" Arthur asked.<br>"My name is Agravaine. I'm looking for my stepson, Merlin? He works here."  
>Just the sound of Agravaine's voice had Merlin's breath catching. He caught Arthur's eyes and shook his head, trying to plead with his eyes for Arthur to send him away. He didn't want to deal with Agravaine's shit here, where people could see.<br>Arthur hesitated for a moment before plastering a smile on his face. "I think you've got the wrong place. I don't know of a Merlin here."  
>"Are you sure?" Agravaine asked. "I really need to talk to him."<br>"I think I would know who was in my house," Arthur said, still forcing a fake smile.  
>Agravaine sighed. "Alright. Sorry."<br>Arthur shut the door and looked through the peephole. The sound of Agravaine's car leaving could be heard before Arthur turned to Merlin and demanded, "Care to explain?"  
>Merlin's hands were shaking. He took a deep breath to try to steady himself. "Uh. I didn't think it professional to allow my personal life to become mingled with my work life?" He tried to smile.<br>"That's bullshit but I'm in too good a mood to argue with you." Arthur walked back into the living room and continued watching the movie. Merlin took a few minutes to calm himself then joined him.

Merlin had been having a sleepless night. He couldn't relax now that Agravaine knew where he was. He was scared for himself and for Arthur.  
>Most of the night was spent tossing and turning, midway between awake and asleep. He was finally starting to drift off around two in the morning when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He'd been woken up by an angry Agravaine enough to be able to react quickly. He caught the person's wrist and held on tight. He launched himself off the bed and toward the person, shoving them against the wall. He kept one hand on their wrist and put the other on their neck.<br>Merlin's heart was pounding. It took him a second to wake up all the way and realize who was standing in front of him.  
>"What the fuck, Arthur?" He demanded.<br>Arthur's eyes were wide. "Could you let go of me?"  
>Merlin nodded and stepped away, sticking his hands in his pajama bottoms' pockets. "Sorry. I just-sorry," he stuttered out. He couldn't think of a good explanation for attacking Arthur.<br>"Er-it's okay." Arthur paused. "Gwaine got in a fight"-Gwaine was on the soccer team-"and he needs someone to clean him up. Do you mind coming to help?"  
>"Yeah, yeah, sure. Let me just get dressed."<br>They got ready quickly and drove a few neighborhoods over to Gwaine's house. Arthur led Merlin to the back gate. They crept through the backyard then climbed in through a window. Gwaine was sitting on his bed waiting for them.  
>"Shit man," Arthur said when he caught sight of Gwaine.<br>He looked like he had lost the fight, but that wasn't like Gwaine. He had a split lip, there was blood staining his nostrils, a bruise on his cheek, and a blooming black eye. Seeing Merlin appraising him, Gwaine said, "You should see the other guy."  
>"I'm sure." Merlin looked around. "Do you have a first aide kit?"<br>Gwaine reached under his bed and pulled out a white box. He handed it to Merlin,who immediately went to searching for something to put on the split lip. "Thanks, man," Gwaine said.  
>Merlin just nodded. "Are you hurt anywhere other than the face?"<br>"My arm got cut."  
>Merlin noticed that one sleeve was turning red. He pushed aside the fabric and looked at the cut. "I think it's gonna need stitches, you need to go to the hospital."<br>"I can't," Gwaine pouted. "Just trust me."  
>Merlin huffed. He glanced over at Arthur, who looked concerned but was doing nothing to help. He turned back to Gwaine. "Do you have whiskey, plain floss, and a needle?"<br>"I'll go look," Arthur volunteered. He sped out of the room.  
>Merlin set to disinfecting the wound while they waited. Eventually Arthur came back with all three things Merlin had asked for. "You might want to close your eyes," Merlin said to Gwaine. "On the count of three. One... Two..." He poured whiskey over the cut.<br>"Fuck!" Gwaine shouted then threw a hand over his own mouth. "My sisters are sleeping," he whispered.  
>"Then bite down on something," Merlin instructed.<br>He then set to stitching up the cut with the floss carefully. When he was done, he instructed Gwaine to disinfect it a lot. He also showed him where to cut it so the floss could be pulled out after it had done its job.  
>He didn't bother to stitch up the lip. It would heal on its own eventually. He checked Gwaine's nose, but it didn't seem broken, so he left that be too. "Just take some Advil. That's all I can do."<br>He sent Arthur to put all the supplies back and instructed Gwaine to get some rest. For a few moments, Merlin was alone, and he saw Gwaine's wallet on the desk. He walked over quietly and opened it. Just this once. He plucked the bills from it and stuffed them in his pocket before returning the wallet to where he'd found it just as Arthur was about to walk back in.  
>He and Arthur left about two hours after getting there. When they got to the car, Arthur said, "You knew a lot about home stitches." He sounded pained.<br>"You know what kind of neighborhood I live in," Merlin replied flatly.  
>"Yeah, I guess so."<p>

That weekend was surprisingly calm. The money Merlin had taken from Gwaine combined with his paycheck was plenty to keep Agravaine from losing it. He spent most of the time with his mother, who wasn't doing well, so he kept her company as much as he could.  
>When he went back to work, he was faced again with the dilemma of getting money. He decided that he would do the least damage if he only took a little bit at a time, so he took a twenty from Arthur's wallet a day-which was a fortune to Merlin but barely noticeable to Arthur.<br>He thought he'd made a good plan until Thursday night. He was walking into his room and noticed Arthur sitting at his desk.  
>Merlin was shocked when he realized that he'd stopped to check Arthur out before sahing anything. He looked so good in the light of the desk lamp that Merlin almost didn't want to disturb him.<br>Arthur looked at him for a long moment before standing up. "I just want all the servants to know that I've noticed money disappearing from my wallet. As has Gwaine." He stopped to give Merlin a significant look.  
>Merlin's thought his heart must have stopped. He didn't say anything because he didn't think he could.<br>"And so I think it's best that whoever it is stops. They're getting a warning, because I don't want to lose a good servant." He paused again and stuck his hands in his pockets. He bit his lip. "So if you know... who it is, I would suggest letting them know that this is their only warning."  
>It was painfully obvious that Arthur knew who it was, so Merlin just nodded.<br>Arthur sighed then walked quickly out of the room.  
>The next morning, Merlin stuck the eighty dollars he'd gathered back into Arthur's wallet and tried not to panic about going home.<p>

He was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when Agravaine got home. His stepdad walked into the room and glanced at the kitchen table, where Merlin usually put money he brought home. It was empty this week. No paycheck. Nothing stolen.  
>"What the hell is this?" Agravaine asked.<br>Merlin set down the glass of water he'd been drinking from. "I couldn't get anything this week. Deal with it."  
>"That's bullshit! With how much money you brought home last week? You're just being stubborn." Agravaine took a threatening step toward Merlin, who shrunk in on himself.<br>"I nearly got caught," Merlin explained. He tried to sound casual but he was internally freaking out. "Do you want me to lose my job?"  
>"No. I want you to manage not to fuck up one simple task, you little asshole." Agravaine was now standing directly in front of Merlin. He grabbed the front of Merlin's shirt and pulled him closer so he could speak directly into his face. "You can't do anything right, can you?"<br>"I guess we should make a club," Merlin snapped. He was going to get beat up no matter what he did at this point, so he figured he might as well go out kicking.  
>Agravaine swung Merlin to the side and tossed him to the ground. Merlin scrambled to get back up, but he was forced down by a boot on his chest. Agravaine picked up his foot them stamped it down Merlin's chest.<br>Merlin felt a sharp pain blossom in his chest and he gasped, but that just made it worse. He tried to ignore the pain and scramble back so he could use the counter to pull himself up. Adrenaline kicked in, and he was able get up without passing out from the pain.  
>He held out a hand in Agravaine's direction. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry," he gasped.<br>The apology seemed to make Agravaine only angrier. He backhanded Merlin, who only remained standing by gripping the counter tightly.  
>Merlin decided that there was no way this could end well for him, so he tried to just step back and make a run for it. If he got outside, Agravaine wouldn't dare do anything because all the neighbors were so close, somebody was bound to hear. Even as Merlin took his first weak step, he knew that plan wasn't going to work out.<br>Agravaine caught up to him in the living room. He grabbed both of Merlin's shoulders and slammed him face first into the wall. His nose pressed against the wall and started to bleed, and a shock of pain wracked his ribs, leaving him breathless and disoriented.  
>Twisting one of Merlin's arms behind him, Agravaine leaned into Merlin's ear and growled, "I could end you right now. Right now. We both know that's true. So you better start showing me some goddamned respect, fucker."<br>Blood from Merlin's nose had dribbled into his mouth. He spat it out and whispered, "Fuck you."  
>Agravaine twisted Merlin's arm until Merlin can't bear it anymore and screamed as loud as he could. Oh god, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt. And then suddenly, it hurt more than Merlin had thought possible up to this point. He screamed again, this time because he couldn't help himself. Tears gathered in his eyes and spilled over without his consent.<br>"You're pathetic," Agravaine said. He let go of Merlin, who lost his balance and slid to the floor, wincing in pain the entire way. He grabbed the back of Merlin's shirt and dragged him toward the door. He tossed him out. "Don't show your face in this house until you have some fucking money." He slammed the door.  
>Merlin had to get back inside. His mother was in there, and she was probably worrying herself sick. He pressed his hand against the door and was shocked to see that he'd left a blood stained handprint there.<br>Was he okay? He couldn't tell. He felt a little fuzzy. Nothing hurt, so he must've been fine.  
>He tried to stand up. Oh. Yeah, everything hurt now. He wasn't okay.<br>"Oh my God, Merlin!"  
>Merlin turned to see who was talking to him and hissed in pain. His neighbor, Mrs. Johnson, was running across the lawn toward him. She pushed through the hedges separating their yards and shuffled up the porch to get to him.<br>"Mrs. Johnson," Merlin said weakly. He reached out his hand toward him. "I'm a little dizzy."  
>"Okay, honey. Let's get you over to my house." Her voice was so soft. It reminded him of his mom.<br>His mom. He needed his mom.  
>"Wait," he protested. "I need… I need… He tried to go back to the door, but he couldn't hold himself up."<br>"Just come with me, honey. We can get whatever you need later." Mrs. Johnson helped him stumble down the stairs. She was surprisingly strong for such a slight woman. "Mark!" she shouted toward her house. "Mark!"  
>A tall, broad man came running out of the Johnson's house. "Holy shit!" He came over to take the duty of holding Merlin up. They led him into their house and let him crumple on their couch.<br>Now that he was able to relax, it hit Merlin again how much pain he was in. He also realized that he was smearing blood on the Johnsons' couch.  
>The Johnsons stood in front of him, talking quietly. "I told you there was something going on," Mrs. Johnson hissed at her husband.<br>He threw up his hands. "I didn't want to accuse him of something if we didn't know for sure. You can't just do that, Debra." He seemed upset about it though.  
>Debra glanced down at Merlin before quickly looking away. "What do we do?"<br>Mark sighed. "We're going to have to call an ambulance. The kid looks miserable, and there's definitely something wrong with his shoulder. He wouldn't let me touch it when I was walking him over here."  
>"I'll go do that," Debra shuffled out of the room quickly, and Merlin could hear a phone dialing.<br>Mark came and set beside Merlin. "How are you doing?" he asked.  
>Merlin tried to shrug but hissed in pain.<br>Mark looked sad. "Well my wife's gonna get an ambulance here, and we're gonna make sure you get taken care of, okay? Should I call anyone for you? Grandparents or someone?" He kept making slow movements, and it was kind of annoying Merlin.  
>Merlin told him Gaius' phone number before he decided to just give in to the wooziness and closed his eyes.<p>

Arthur was worried. When Monday had come around without Merlin showing up, he was concerned that he'd scared him away with his warning. Then he'd started to get mad, because Merlin shouldn't just skip out on work like that. He'd dealt without Merlin for the day, though he wasn't happy about it.  
>Then it was Tuesday, and Merlin still wasn't there.<br>Arthur stormed down the hallway to Gaius' rooms. He was shocked when he stepped inside to see that Gaius wasn't hunched over the table. He knocked on each of the three doors and received no response.  
>He made his next stop Morgana's room. She was in her bed, eating breakfast, and Arthur could hear the shower turn on.<br>"Where's Gaius?" he asked.  
>Morgana looked concerned. "Are you sick?" she asked. Arthur shook his head. "Well if he's not in his chambers, I don't know where he is."<br>Gwen came out of the bathroom, drying her hands on a towel. "Gaius left late Friday night. I don't know why though."  
>"Well where's Merlin?" Arthur demanded. "I want Merlin."<br>Gwen shrugged. "He hasn't been here for two days."  
>"I've noticed."<br>Arthur stormed out of the room and went all the way across the house to where they kept employment files. If Merlin wasn't going to show up to work, Arthur would drag him here. If he was being honest, he kind of missed the stupid klutz.  
>Arthur found Merlin's address and drove there by himself. It was most definitely not a bad neighborhood, or at least it wasn't as bad as Arthur had imagined based on what Merlin had told him. The house was run down, especially in comparison to those around it, and all the lights were off.<br>He walked cautiously up the steps of the front porch and was about to knock on the door when he noticed a red handprint toward the bottom of the door. Dread settled in his stomach. Was that blood? It definitely looked like it.  
>Arthur knocked, but nobody answered. He knocked again.<br>"Excuse me!" a voice shouted from the next yard over. "Excuse me! Are you looking for someone who lives there?" Arthur looked over to see a small woman trekking over the bushes to walk over to him.  
>"Yes," Arthur replied, moving toward her. "I'm looking for Merlin. Do you know where he is?"<br>The woman sighed. "Who's asking?"  
>"I'm his…" Arthur paused. "Friend. I should've heard from him yesterday, so I'm getting kind of worried."<br>He was surprised when the woman stuck a finger in his face. "If you knew what was going on and didn't do anything, I swear to God—"  
>"Excuse me?" Arthur just wanted her to tell him where his friend was. He was worried and scared, and he just wished he knew if Merlin was okay or not. "I don't know what you're talking about. Please. Where's Merlin?"<br>She let her hand fall. "He's in the hospital."

Arthur's hands were turning white on the steering wheel. Mrs. Johnson had told him everything she knew about what happened to Merlin, and he could feel himself boiling over with rage. He was going to have that man sentenced to life in prison. He had money; he could make it happen.  
>It was a shame he definitely wouldn't get the death penalty though.<br>Nobody hurt his Merlin. Nobody. Arthur was considering killing the man himself now that he thought about it. He might just bail the bastard out of jail to kill him himself.  
>Arthur kicked himself for not seeing what was going on and stopping it. Merlin had bruises; he knew too much about home first aide; he freaked out when someone touched him in his sleep. It was so obvious, and Arthur had failed to protect him.<br>When Arthur got to the hospital, he didn't have to go searching for Merlin, because he caught sight of Gaius pushing someone in a wheelchair across the parking lot. There was a woman walking beside him.  
>Arthur pulled up beside them. "Is everything okay? Is Merlin okay?"<br>Merlin looked at him for a long moment then ducked his head down. He looked exhausted.  
>Gaius answered, "He's fine. We just need to get him home so he can relax. I think I'm going to bring him to my rooms but he won't be able to work."<br>"That's okay," Arthur said. "I can set up a room downstairs for him—if the stairs will be too much for him."  
>Gaius looked taken aback. "That would be very good of you, Arthur," he said. He motioned to the woman beside him. "This is Merlin's mother, Hunith. She will probably stay with me, if that's alright with you and your father."<br>Arthur nodded. "I'll give my father a heads up. I can have the cooks bring her up her meals as well."  
>They arranged to meet back at Pendragon Estate, and were on their way. Arthur hoped their stay lasted a while, and he hoped Merlin's bastard step-father rotted in jail.<p> 


End file.
